Mark Whitehead 28 November 2018

Council chief says on YouTube: 'I'm sorry about bin chaos'

A council leader has gone online to apologise to residents over chaos caused by a reorganisation of bin collections.

Richard Cornelius, leader of Barnet Council in north London, said in a YouTube video: 'I would like to apologise to the people who have been inconvenienced in the borough'.

He said the council had now 'turned a corner' and was working hard to fix the problems.

It follows complaints that some residents had not had a collection since the beginning of November when crews were allocated new routes.

One resident in the Tory-run borough which has hit the headlines over its radical privatisation initiatives, said online: 'Roads have been clogged in rush hour by bin lorries, pavements littered with wheelie bins left out and overflowing.'

In the video Cllr Cornelius says: 'We’re working to get it right and I believe we have turned a corner and that we will start to start to see an improvement in the service this week.

'We had to do this because it's not been done for many, many years and it's simply become unfair in the way the work was allocated between various crews.

'We make 359,000 collections of bins every week, it's a huge number, but even a small percentage can have a huge impact on people.

'We're working hard to get it right and I believe we've turned a corner now.'

Skills Pipelines: What local government needs to know image

Skills Pipelines: What local government needs to know

Councils and mayors are to be handed a central role in developing skills pipelines for local industries, as the Government unveils what it calls a ‘fundamental change’ to the education system aimed at tackling youth unemployment. Here's what council leaders and officers need to know.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Highways Supervisor

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
£44982 - £54500
Job Title Highways Supervisor... Richmond
Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Communication Support Worker

Durham County Council
£33,673 - £37,563 pro rata
Required – Temporary, grade 8, term time only plus 2 weeks.  8 hours per week until 31 August 2027. Are you looking or a role in school supporting th Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Outreach Workers

Durham County Council
Grade 6 £29,071 - £32,046
We are looking for enthusiastic and committed practitioners to join our Family Hub Teams supporting children and Families to deliver services in comm Peterlee
Recuriter: Durham County Council

School Admin Officer

Durham County Council
£26,403 - £28,598 pro rata (pay award pending)
Required to work term time only plus 2 weeks during summer holidays. 8am-4pm. Wingate Nursery School is looking for an exceptionally organised, warm, Wingate
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Cleaner

Durham County Council
£24,796 pro rata (pay award pending)
Required to work 12 hours per week, 05.30-08.00 or 15.30-18.00 Monday-Friday, Term Time plus 3 weeks to be worked during school holidays. We are seek Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner